Ultra-marathoner Neelam Vaid, who completed the recent Comrades Marathon in South Africa, shares tips on how women can get started on endurance running to conquer the toughest of races

We may not think that there are superheroes in real life, but actually, we just need to look a little harder because they’re hidden in plain sight. One such Wonder Woman is Dr Neelam Vaid, an ENT specialist based in the city. The 53-year-old doctor successfully completed the famous 2017 Comrades Marathon in South Africa earlier this month. The race is known to be the toughest and oldest ultra-marathon in the world, where runners have to cover a distance of almost 90 km of hilly region. “It was one of the most difficult and painful experiences of my life, but it was worth it,” says Vaid, who finished the race in a whopping 11 hours and 48 minutes.

Push yourself

Training for an ultra-marathon takes special determination and perseverance. “It is a commitment you make to train and finish the race. Since it’s the toughest marathon, you need to train a lot harder,” explains Vaid. Most runners start training only three-four months before the race, as it is advised that training too intensely can affect the runner’s performance at the actual race. There are many training regimens available online, specifically designed for an ultra-marathon, but Vaid says that one should train according to one’s comfort. “I started out training by myself, having participated in a few marathons earlier. But later, I joined a group coached by Atul Godbole, where eight of us would train together. I found the experience refreshing; having people around you training the same as you motivates you more and helps you get through the tough days,” shares Vaid, who did a mixture of running and weights to achieve the prolonged stamina required for such a marathon.

Eat right

The diet is also an important part of the training. One must pay attention to the various vitamin and protein supplements needed to be taken, as most often than not, they are ignored. “I was someone who never really needed supplements during the training or the race, but for this marathon I was advised to take some as the body needed extra nutrition in addition to what I was eating,” says Vaid. As part of her diet, Vaid gave up sugar for the four months she was training and found it helped greatly. “I saw a drastic change in my body. By just cutting out sugar completely, I lost a lot more weight. And in a marathon, you’re basically carrying all your body weight through the race and the lesser you carry, the better it is,” she explains.

Mind matters

It’s no secret that stamina is key in a marathon of this kind, but Vaid stresses that it’s actually all in the mind. “It is very easy to give up in a test of endurance such as this. So it’s important to mentally train yourself to be on your feet for 15 hours straight and to just keep going,” says Vaid. While being physically fit is paramount, pushing one’s body to keep going and constantly motivating yourself as you see runners around you give up is no mean task. “I saw many runners give up halfway; some of them would be throwing up on the side or just collapsing under the sheer physical pressure. And it’s very hard to keep going when you see that,” says Vaid, who has always been into stamina sports and found the self-motivation is key in any such sport. In addition, given that this particular ultra-marathon has hilly terrain, mental stability and motivation becomes even more important. “You can have the best training plans, but it all comes down to the actual day and the actual race. Every preplanned strategy goes out of the window, and it’s all up to you to improvise and keep yourself on track,” shares Vaid, adding that one must still have a few strategies to finish a marathon such as this.

Wonder women

“Even though the marathon saw a huge turnout, I was still disappointed to see a severe lack of Indian women participating. Only a handful of us entered and even fewer finished,” says Vaid, adding that it is not surprising, however, seeing as how little support women get to even participate in a sporting event in our country. “I believe that women have the mental strength to do this. All they need is a little motivation and support from their families. So many of them dropout because training for such an event would come in the way of their personal and professional lives,” she says. Vaid, a renowned doctor with a hectic schedule, found it challenging to balance her family, work and training, but says she could do it only because she got infinite support and encouragement from her family. “I would say — just go out and do it. Show your family what you’re capable of and convince them that it’s important to you and it’s worth it — no matter what your age,” says Vaid.

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